**English will follow** <\/p>\n\n\n\n
RICHMOND, le 27 mai 2025<\/strong> \u2013 La Cour supr\u00eame de la Colombie-Britannique a donn\u00e9 partiellement gain de cause au Conseil scolaire francophone (CSF) de la Colombie-Britannique dans le proc\u00e8s en mati\u00e8re d\u2019\u00e9ducation francophone l\u2019opposant \u00e0 la Province et au Vancouver Board of Education<\/em> (VBE). Le jugement a \u00e9t\u00e9 rendu public aujourd\u2019hui bien qu\u2019il soit dat\u00e9 du vendredi 23 mai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n L\u2019analyse du jugement est toujours en cours, mais il est d\u00e9j\u00e0 possible de conclure que le CSF sera dor\u00e9navant un peu mieux outill\u00e9 pour faire respecter l\u2019article 23 de la Charte<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n D\u2019abord, la Cour a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 que l\u2019absence d\u2019un pouvoir du CSF en mati\u00e8re d\u2019expropriation<\/strong> de sites priv\u00e9s entrave la mise en \u0153uvre en temps opportun de l\u2019article 23 de la Charte<\/em>. Depuis sa cr\u00e9ation en 1997, le CSF est le seul conseil scolaire de la province n\u2019\u00e9tant pas dot\u00e9 d\u2019un tel pouvoir, ce qui a pos\u00e9 un d\u00e9fi important dans sa recherche de sites permettant d\u2019y construire des \u00e9coles de langue fran\u00e7aise \u00e0 travers la province. Tout en qualifiant cette r\u00e9alit\u00e9 d\u2019anomalie, la Cour a remarqu\u00e9 qu\u2019il est \u00ab frappant que parmi tous les conseils scolaires de la province, le CSF est celui qui a le plus grand besoin de nouvelles \u00e9coles et fait face aux d\u00e9fis les plus importants pour les mettre en place \u00bb [traduction]. La Cour a ordonn\u00e9 \u00e0 la Province d\u2019adopter des dispositions l\u00e9gislatives dans les six prochains mois pour permettre l\u2019expropriation de sites et ainsi pour \u00e9viter la perp\u00e9tuation des probl\u00e8mes rencontr\u00e9s par le CSF dans la mise en \u0153uvre de l\u2019article 23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n La Cour a \u00e9galement d\u00e9clar\u00e9 que les conseils scolaires de la majorit\u00e9, dont le VBE, doivent tenir compte de l\u2019importance de l\u2019acc\u00e8s \u00e0 l\u2019instruction de langue fran\u00e7aise en situation minoritaire dans leurs d\u00e9cisions lorsque le CSF leur demande de transf\u00e9rer des sites exc\u00e9dentaires \u00e0 leurs besoins ou sous-utilis\u00e9s. En d\u2019autres termes, les conseils scolaires de la majorit\u00e9 doivent tenir compte des int\u00e9r\u00eats des titulaires de droits en vertu de l\u2019article 23 de la Charte<\/em><\/strong> dans le cadre de certaines de leurs d\u00e9cisions, et non seulement ceux des populations qu\u2019ils desservent. Concr\u00e8tement, la Cour a conclu que le VBE avait manqu\u00e9 \u00e0 cette obligation \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9gard du CSF. Il s\u2019agit l\u00e0 d\u2019un d\u00e9veloppement important dans la jurisprudence qui, lui aussi, habilitera le CSF dans ses efforts de mise en \u0153uvre de l\u2019article 23 \u00e0 travers la Colombie-Britannique, cette fois aupr\u00e8s de ses corollaires anglophones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n La Cour a reconnu que la Province a caus\u00e9 un pr\u00e9judice au CSF en refusant de divulguer le montant d\u2019argent disponible<\/strong> dans l\u2019enveloppe budg\u00e9taire d\u00e9di\u00e9e au financement de projets immobiliers du CSF. Selon la Cour, le refus de la Province de faire part de cette information a emp\u00each\u00e9 des discussions s\u00e9rieuses au sujet de l\u2019acquisition de sites, notamment au sud de Surrey en 2018, ce qui pourrait expliquer une opportunit\u00e9 manqu\u00e9e pour le CSF. La Cour a ordonn\u00e9 \u00e0 la Province de dor\u00e9navant faire part au CSF du montant disponible dans l\u2019enveloppe ainsi que de tout montant qui y est d\u00e9duit ou ajout\u00e9. Cette ordonnance aidera \u00e9galement le CSF \u00e0 mieux veiller \u00e0 la mise en \u0153uvre de l\u2019article 23 de la Charte<\/em> \u00e0 travers la province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Concernant les communaut\u00e9s particuli\u00e8res faisant l\u2019objet de la poursuite<\/strong>, la Cour a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 a) que le CSF est en droit de se voir transf\u00e9rer le site de l\u2019annexe Queen Elizabeth<\/strong> dans les 90 jours et b) que le CSF est en droit de se voir transf\u00e9rer, contrairement aux pr\u00e9tentions du VBE, le site de l\u2019annexe Laurier <\/strong>(le site actuel de l\u2019\u00c9cole des Colibris), sujet \u00e0 des discussions avec la Province \u2013 les parties doivent d\u00e9ployer leurs meilleurs efforts pour conclure une telle entente dans les 120 jours. La Province doit financer ces transferts. Malheureusement, la Cour a d\u00e9clin\u00e9 d\u2019exiger que le CSF devienne propri\u00e9taire du site de l\u2019annexe Queen Elizabeth et du site de l\u2019annexe Laurier, jugeant acceptable que la Province ne finance que des baux \u00e0 long-terme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n La Cour a reconnu que les parents admissibles \u00e0 l\u2019instruction en fran\u00e7ais ne b\u00e9n\u00e9ficient toujours pas d\u2019une \u00e9ducation \u00e9quivalente \u00e0 Vancouver, et que le CSF a maintenant droit \u00e0 des \u00e9coles pouvant accommoder un nombre d\u2019\u00e9l\u00e8ves substantiellement plus \u00e9lev\u00e9 que celui \u00e9tabli par les tribunaux en 2015 et en 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n En ce qui concerne les communaut\u00e9s d\u2019Abbotsford et de Victoria (ouest), gr\u00e2ce au travail acharn\u00e9 de l\u2019\u00e9quipe des immobilisations, et \u00e0 la suite de l\u2019ajout de ces communaut\u00e9s au recours juridique du Conseil, la Province, \u00e0 la 11e<\/sup> heure, a appuy\u00e9 le financement pour l\u2019acquisition de sites \u00e0 Colwood <\/strong>et \u00e0 Abbotsford<\/strong>. En raison de ces d\u00e9veloppements positifs en cours de litige, la Cour a malheureusement jug\u00e9 non n\u00e9cessaire d\u2019ordonner des r\u00e9parations concr\u00e8tes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Le CSF est d\u00e9\u00e7u que la Cour n\u2019ait pas ordonn\u00e9 le transfert d\u2019un site ou d\u2019une portion d\u2019un site dans le nord-est de Vancouver<\/strong>. Il est d\u00e9cevant que la Cour ait jug\u00e9 la solution propos\u00e9e par le CSF comme pr\u00e9matur\u00e9e. La Cour invite plut\u00f4t les parties \u00e0 poursuivre leurs discussions, presque cinq ans apr\u00e8s avoir obtenu en Cour supr\u00eame du Canada un jugement d\u00e9clarant le droit \u00e0 une \u00e9cole \u00e9quivalente de langue fran\u00e7aise dans le nord-est de Vancouver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n La Cour refuse d\u2019ordonner que la Province approuve le financement pour la construction d\u2019\u00e9coles<\/strong> de langue fran\u00e7aise dans toutes les communaut\u00e9s du litige, malgr\u00e9 les gains concernant le transfert ou l\u2019achat de sites. Il s\u2019agit de conclusions d\u00e9cevantes qui ralentiront vraisemblablement la construction et l\u2019ouverture d\u2019\u00e9coles de langue fran\u00e7aise garanties par l\u2019article 23 de la Charte<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Le CSF est particuli\u00e8rement d\u00e9\u00e7u que la Cour n\u2019ait pas ordonn\u00e9 le transfert d\u2019un site \u00e0 Whistler <\/strong>en invoquant, encore une fois, qu\u2019il serait pr\u00e9matur\u00e9 de le faire, et ce, bien que la Cour reconnaisse que la Province est responsable d\u2019avoir caus\u00e9 un d\u00e9lai de plusieurs ann\u00e9es en ce qui concerne l\u2019acquisition d\u2019un site \u00e0 Whistler. Toutefois, selon la Cour, l\u2019acquisition d\u2019un site \u00e0 Whistler devrait \u00eatre facilit\u00e9e par l\u2019ordonnance obligeant la Province \u00e0 cr\u00e9er un pouvoir d\u2019expropriation pour le b\u00e9n\u00e9fice du CSF. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Le CSF est \u00e9galement d\u00e9\u00e7u que la Cour ait refus\u00e9, pour toutes les communaut\u00e9s, de demeurer saisie<\/strong> du dossier afin d\u2019assurer la r\u00e9paration, \u00e0 l\u2019int\u00e9rieur de dates limites fixes, des atteintes \u00e0 l\u2019article 23 reconnues par les tribunaux depuis longtemps. Ce refus ignore le besoin urgent d\u2019\u00e9coles de langue fran\u00e7aise de qualit\u00e9 que la communaut\u00e9 attend d\u00e9j\u00e0 depuis tr\u00e8s longtemps et pour lesquelles cette communaut\u00e9 s\u2019est d\u00e9j\u00e0 battue avec succ\u00e8s devant les tribunaux.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Certains aspects de l\u2019analyse juridique de la Cour sont manifestement erron\u00e9s. Par exemple, selon la Cour, l\u2019article 23 n\u2019assurerait pas \u00e0 la minorit\u00e9 linguistique un droit g\u00e9n\u00e9ral de traitement \u00e9galitaire : \u00ab une interpr\u00e9tation expansive de l\u2019article 23 qui assure que la minorit\u00e9 linguistique sera trait\u00e9e comme un partenaire \u00e9gal dans tous les aspects du contexte \u00e9ducatif […] n\u2019est pas tenable <\/em>\u00bb [traduction]. Plusieurs conclusions, particuli\u00e8rement dans la mesure o\u00f9 elles requi\u00e8rent que le CSF se contente de louer ses \u00e9coles \u00e0 long terme du VBE, n\u2019assurent pas une \u00e9quivalence v\u00e9ritable et durable pour les parents pouvant inscrire leurs enfants au CSF. <\/p>\n\n\n\n La pr\u00e9sidente du CSF, Mme Marie-Pierre Lavoie, a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 que \u00ab l\u2019un des enjeux importants de cette d\u00e9marche juridique \u00e9tait de mieux outiller le CSF pour acc\u00e9l\u00e9rer la mise en \u0153uvre de l\u2019article 23 de la Charte <\/em>\u00e0 travers la province. Je suis tellement heureuse que l\u2019\u00e9quipe du CSF qui tente de satisfaire aux besoins immobiliers aura maintenant acc\u00e8s \u00e0 de meilleurs outils pour appuyer son travail acharn\u00e9 de recherche de sites et de construction d\u2019\u00e9coles \u00bb. Mme Lavoie est cependant d\u2019avis que \u00ab la Cour donne beaucoup de latitude \u00e0 la Province pour demeurer r\u00e9actionnaire plut\u00f4t que de proactivement aider le CSF \u00e0 surmonter les d\u00e9fis dans l\u2019identification de sites et la construction d\u2019\u00e9coles, tel qu\u2019exig\u00e9 par la jurisprudence. Il s\u2019agit d\u2019un lourd fardeau pour le CSF \u00bb. Elle souligne que c\u2019est \u00ab un jugement complexe : il nous faudra du temps pour en analyser les impacts possibles \u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Le CSF remercie chaleureusement les parents qui ont g\u00e9n\u00e9reusement donn\u00e9 de leur temps, les membres de son personnel et l\u2019ensemble des t\u00e9moins pour leur contribution importante \u00e0 cette d\u00e9marche judiciaire visant \u00e0 faire avancer les droits de la communaut\u00e9 francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, ainsi que cette derni\u00e8re pour sa confiance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Les parties ont quelques semaines pour d\u00e9cider d\u2019en appeler du jugement, en tout ou en partie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n PRESS RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Partial victory for the CSF in the Supreme Court of British Columbia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n RICHMOND, May 27, 2025<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The Supreme Court of British Columbia has handed a partial victory to the Conseil scolaire francophone (CSF) de la Colombie-Britannique in its Francophone education rights case against the Province and the\u00a0Vancouver Board of Education<\/em>\u00a0(VBE). The ruling was made public today, although it is dated Friday, May 23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Analysis of the judgment is still underway, but it is already apparent that the CSF will now have at least some additional tools to uphold section 23 of the Charter<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, the Court declared that the absence of a power enabling the CSF to expropriate <\/strong>private sites impedes the timely implementation of section 23 of the Charter<\/em>. Since its creation in 1997, the CSF has been the only school board in the province without such a power, which has posed a significant challenge in its search for sites to build French-language schools across the province. Characterizing this as an anomaly, the Court noted that it is \u201cstriking that the [CSF], among all the school boards in the Province, has the greatest need for new schools and faces the most substantial challenges in establishing them.\u201d The Court ordered the Province to enact legislation within the next six months to allow for the expropriation of sites and thus avoid perpetuating the obstacles encountered by the CSF in implementing section 23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Court also declared that majority school boards, including the VBE, must consider the importance of minority French-language education when the CSF asks them to transfer sites that are surplus to their needs or under-utilized. In other words, when making certain decisions, majority school boards must consider the interests of rightsholders under section 23 of the Charter<\/em><\/strong>, not merely the interests of their own constituents. The Court held that the VBE had breached this obligation. This is another important jurisprudential development. It too will assist the CSF in its efforts to implement section 23 across British Columbia; in this instance, facilitating its dealings with its English-language counterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Court recognized that the Province caused harm to the CSF by refusing to disclose the amount of money available<\/strong> in the budget envelope dedicated to financing CSF capital projects. According to the Court, the Province\u2019s refusal to share this information prevented serious discussions about acquiring sites, particularly in South Surrey in 2018, which may have led to a missed opportunity to establish a French-language school there. The Court ordered that, going forward, the Province must share with the CSF the amount available in the envelope, as well as any amounts withdrawn from or added to it. This order as well will help the CSF to better ensure the implementation of section 23 of the Charter<\/em>throughout the province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regarding the specific communities at issue in the lawsuit<\/strong>, the Court declared that a) the CSF is entitled to have the Queen Elizabeth Ann<\/strong>ex<\/strong> site transferred to it within 90 days, and b) contrary to the VBE\u2019s arguments, the CSF is entitled to have the Laurier Annex site<\/strong> (the current site of \u00c9cole des Colibris) transferred to it, subject to discussions with the Province \u2013 the parties must use their best efforts to conclude such an agreement within 120 days. The Province must fund these transfers. Unfortunately, the Court did not require that the CSF must own the Queen Elizabeth Annex site and the Laurier Annex site, finding it acceptable for the Province to fund only long-term leases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Court recognized that eligible parents still do not have access to an equivalent French-language education for their children in Vancouver, and that the CSF is now entitled to schools that can accommodate significantly more students than the numbers set out in the 2015 and 2020 court decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In each of Abbotsford<\/strong> and Victoria (West)<\/strong>, thanks to the hard work of the CSF\u2019s capital projects team, and following the addition of these communities to the CSF\u2019s lawsuit, the Province, at the 11th hour, supported funding for the acquisition of sites in Colwood and Abbotsford. Due to these positive developments during the course of the litigation, the Court unfortunately found it unnecessary to order concrete remedies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The CSF is disappointed that the Court did not order the transfer of a site or portion of a site in Northeast Vancouver<\/strong>. It is disheartening that the Court found the solution proposed by the CSF to be premature. Instead, the Court invited the parties to continue their discussions, almost five years after the Supreme Court of Canada declared the right to an equivalent French-language school in Northeast Vancouver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Court refused to order the Province to approve funding for the construction<\/strong> of French-language schools<\/strong> in any of the communities in dispute, despite requiring the transfer or purchase of sites. These disappointing conclusions are likely to delay French-language schools guaranteed by section 23 of the Charter <\/em>being built and opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The CSF is particularly disappointed that the Court did not order a site transfer in Whistler<\/strong>, once again finding that it would be premature to do so, even though the Court recognized that the Province caused a delay of several years in acquiring a site in Whistler. However, according to the Court, its order requiring the Province to enact an expropriation power should facilitate the CSF\u2019s acquisition of a site in Whistler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The CSF is also disappointed that the Court refused, for all communities, to retain jurisdiction<\/strong> to ensure the section 23 breaches that have long been recognized by the courts are remedied, within fixed deadlines.. This refusal ignores the urgent need for quality French-language schools that the community has already long awaited, and for which it has already successfully fought in the courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Certain aspects of the Court\u2019s legal analysis are clearly flawed. For example, according to the Court, section 23 does not guarantee the linguistic minority a general right to equal treatment: \u201can expansive view of s. 23 as assuring to the linguistic minority that it will be treated as an equal partner in all respects in the context of education [\u2026] is untenable.\u201d Several conclusions, particularly those that they require the CSF to accept that it will at best be a long-term tenant of the VBE, do not ensure genuine and lasting equivalence for parents entitled to send their children to CSF schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marie-Pierre Lavoie, Chair of the CSF, stated that \u201cone of the key stakes in this case was to better equip the CSF to accelerate the implementation of section 23 of the Charter <\/em>across the province. I am so pleased that the CSF capital projects team who is trying to meet our infrastructure needs will now have access to better tools to support their hard work in finding sites and building schools.\u201d Ms. Lavoie believes, however, that \u201cthe Court has given the Province a lot of latitude to remain reactive, instead of proactively helping the CSF to overcome the challenges in identifying sites and building schools, as required by the jurisprudence. This is a heavy burden for the CSF.\u201d She notes that this is \u201ca complex judgment: it will take time to analyze its possible impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The CSF extends its deepest thanks to the parents who generously donated their time, the members of its staff, and all the witnesses for their important contribution to this case aimed at advancing the rights of British Columbia\u2019s Francophone community. The CSF thanks the entire community for its support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The parties have a few weeks to decide whether to appeal the judgment, in whole or in part.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" **English will follow** COMMUNIQU\u00c9 DE PRESSE RICHMOND, le 27 mai 2025 \u2013 La Cour supr\u00eame […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11804,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communaute"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
COMMUNIQU\u00c9 DE PRESSE<\/strong>
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